The next time that you are out shopping and the clerk asks you the inevitable question, "paper or plastic?" consider making an Eco friendly decision by choosing neither.
Plastic bags are everywhere. So much so, that they have literally become part of our environment. They litter and contaminate our landscapes, water ways and endanger wildlife. 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed annually, which is more than 1 million plastic bags per minute.
There are several reasons to consider refusing to take a plastic bag, next time you are at check out. Over 1,000 marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and sea turtles and 1 million birds die every year from consuming plastic bags, sadly mistaking them as food. Plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to decompose in the landfill. The process in which plastic bags are manufactured is super polluting and the petroleum by products and natural gas from which they are made, are both non-renewable resources. Also, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on average 25 children die annually due to suffocation from plastic bags.
You may have asked yourself, is paper a better option than plastic, when it comes to shopping bags?
Some people may consider paper bags to be the better option of the two. However, in the United States alone 14 million trees are cut down to make paper bags annually. Only a very small percentage of these paper bags are recycled, most find their way into the landfill and sit there for years, since they do not decompose in a timely manner.
The best option available is reusable bags.
Reusable bags are the option that makes the most sense for the environment and consumers because they can be used over and over again. Reusable bags are much sturdier than paper or plastic and by reusing just one reusable bag, one person will keep thousands of plastic bags out of our environment over their lifetime. Since reusable bags come in a variety of styles, designs and colors, you will be able to find a reusable bag that will fit into your personal style and lifestyle. Another incentive for using your own reusable bag is that your local grocery store may offer you a discount for bringing your own. My favorite reusable bags are ultra compact, this way I can keep always keep one with me in my purse. These ultra compact bags are so small they can be stored almost anywhere. I also keep several in my car, so anytime we stop to pick something up, the bags are there for our use.
Do you choose to use reusable bags?
Why do you make the choice that you do?
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